Belgian Beauties
Alain Bontinck of AB Wooddesign is elected winner of the Belgian Beauties with his Tri-color Touch-pen. UNIZO, an organisation for self-employed people, organised this competition together with DHL Express, because, in their words, “tourists too often go home with a souvenir that's ‘made in China’ when there are so many wonderful, hand crafted and unique Belgian products which are just as symbolic of our country”.
The winning product, the Tri-color Touch-pen can be used to operate your smartphone or tablet. The Tri-color Touch-pen is made from 3 different types of wood symbolising the Belgian flag: wenge, oak and padouk. The jury chose the Touch-pen for its craftsmanship. The pen is compact, stylish and handmade. The materials used are authentic, but the purpose is contemporary.
“When I was working on my tablet with a pen like it, it inspired me to make one out of wood”, said Bontinck. “My product is different to all those made out of plastic. Then came the idea to make it in the three colours of our country. Wenge wood is black, oak is white and padouk is red. The top is a touch-pen to be used on a mobile phone or tablet.”
The second prize was awarded to an entry 'Floral' from Karin Carmeliet from Reet. Floral is a silver brooch in the shape of a flower with the Belgian flag woven in silken thread. Third was ‘Ceci n’est pas une lampe’, a white candle which opens out and looks like a lamp, made by Inge-Lise Vermeire from Ghent.
The winners were awarded their prizes in the presence of Queen Mathilde, Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders and Minister of State Herman Van Rompuy.